After a weekend of reprieve allowing fire teams to continue making progress battling the deadly infernos burning in Los Angeles County, Southern California now faces another round of fire-fueling Santa Ana winds.
This is the third PDS warning issued within 14 days in the greater Los Angeles area, which is "unprecedented" for the region, according to the National Weather Service.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Windy and dry conditions returned to Southern California on Monday, raising the risk of new wildfires sparking as firefighters continue to battle two major blazes in the Los Angeles area that started in similar weather nearly two weeks ago.
Jan. 8, 1:25 p.m. PST The Palisades Fire in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades—an affluent coastal neighborhood—exploded to 15,832 acres, according to Cal Fire, making it the largest fire of the four burning in Los Angeles County as of Wednesday afternoon.
We have over 100 fire apparatus out of service,” Los Angeles fire chief Kristin Crowley admitted when the wildfires were still at their peak.
The Los Angeles Fire Department estimates that about 10,000 structures have been burned down or damaged in the city's fires. That includes houses, sheds, garages and cars. Celebrities who lost their homes in the fire included model and actor Paris Hilton, actor Billy Crystal, and actor Miles Teller. The death toll rose to 24 on Monday.
In May 2024, the city of Los Angeles adopted a Fiscal Year 2024 - 2025 budget that cut the appropriations for the fire department by $17.6 million from the previous year. At the time, the city of Los Angeles was negotiating the union contract with the firefighters' union, the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City.
Southern Californians are bracing for gusty winds and a heightened risk of wildfires less than two weeks after deadly blazes that have killed at least 27 people and ravaged thousands of homes.
On Sunday, first responders made some significant progress on multiple fires burning in Los Angeles County after more than a week's worth of severe red flag weather created some of the worst wildfires in the region's history.
About 1,600 policies for Pacific Palisades homeowners were dropped by State Farm in July, the state insurance office says.
Tuesday, 2:10 p.m. PST Cal Fire says the Auto Fire, which broke out Monday in Ventura County, is 25% contained several hours after fire crews stopped forward progress on the 56-acre blaze.